IFC Orders Two Comedy Series, Plans June Premieres

IFC has ordered two more series to bolster its comedy lineup, the cable network said Monday.

The first, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” is a sketch variety show hosted by Scott Aukerman, co-creator of the “Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis” video series and a former writer and performer with “Mr. Show.” Based on Aukerman’s podcast of the same name, the series will deliver a mish-mash of celebrity guest appearances, comedy sketches and animation.

The second offering, currently bearing the working title “Bunk,” will be a game-show parody in which comedian contestants perform “absurd comedy challenges.” The series, discovered by IFC at 2010’s New York Television Festival, was co-created by Ethan T. Berlin and Eric Bryant, and will be hosted by stand-up comedian Kurt Braunohler.

Both series have been greenlit for 10 episode seasons, and will premiere in June 2012.

“With popular shows like ‘Portlandia‘ and ‘Todd Margaret‘ currently on our air and now the addition of ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ and ‘Bunk,’ IFC is quickly becoming known as a destination for top comedic talent,” IFC senior vice president of original programming Debbie DeMontreux of the acquisitions. “These shows fit perfectly with IFC’s mission to create fresh, original, off-kilter comedies, and we’re thrilled to add them to our 2012 line up.”